From the Editor

Broadband is becoming a more attractive option with the drop in prices (see later). Not only does it allow the same Internet facilities as in the office, it makes sharing an Internet connection feasible. With the right kit, a portable used in the office can be linked to a home network just as easily.

With just a little bit of help from on-line documentation, the supplier Helpdesk or a savvy friend, it's now cheap and easy to install a shared Internet link. These usually take the form of a 'Router' box that sits between your broadband connection and all of the PCs in your house. The PCs connect to this 'Router' by cable or wirelessly depending on the model you buy. As long as you take the security aspects into consideration, wireless linking makes the sharing of Internet connections (and printers etc) across the whole house a realistic option.

Of course, you need to be a little brave (or experienced) to tackle this yourself but it really isn't beyond the ken of the average businessman. As long as you treat the advertising material with a pinch of salt, and don't spend more then you need to, all the benefits of shared Internet in the home are achievable. Linking two PCs to the Internet needn't cost much more than £100 (incl VAT) - £150 if you want to do it wirelessly.

Pay per Click advertising on Google, MSN etc.

Everyone knows that a website needs to be found before visitors can begin to take an interest in your products and services. Having the website address (domain name, URL) on your business stationery, vehicles, your adverts and Yellow Pages entry is good, but it's important to be found on the major Search Engines (SEs) such as Google, Yahoo, MSN etc.

You can spend time and money optimising your site so that it rises to the first three pages on one or more of them but there is a short-cut.

Pay per Click advertising (PPC) offers you a way to get to the top pages of search result pages in very short order. It works this way:

You bid for a search term with one of the PPC SEs - for example "Hospitality Berkshire" or "Builders Merchant" - and commit to paying 50p. Each time someone performs a search using that SE where you appear on the search result page and they click on your advert/link, you pay the PPC SE 50p.

The idea, as with the main search result pages, is to be in the top few entries. The amount you bid will vary depending on how popular your chosen search term is. If there are 20 other people bidding for the term you might need to spend more than 50p per click. With only a few, you'll probably be able to spend less. The point is that you only pay when someone searches for your term and then clicks on your advert.

There's a minimum of 4p per click with Google, no minimum sign-up period and a daily spend limit that can be set so you can't get burnt. You set how much you're prepared to pay per day and if/when that's reached, your PPC advert is removed for the rest of that day.

There is a small downside to this though as a substitute for getting your web pages optimised for the Search Engines. Not everyone clicks on the adverts or 'sponsored links' on the search result pages. Some people don't even see them whilst others view it as more overt or agressive advertising and shun them.

If the number of visitors you get to your site through Pay per Click advertising generates enough purchases or quality enquiries, fine. If not, perhaps you should consider the more traditional Search Engine route as well?

Link to Overture/Yahoo Pay per Click advertising